Life Table Analysis System

January 2016

The NIOSH-119 and NIOSH-92 underlying cause of death (UCOD) and NIOSH-119 multiple cause of death (MCOD) rate files with actual death and latest population data through 2009 are incorporated in the latest LTAS.NET version 4.0.

October 2013

The NIOSH-119 and NIOSH-92 underlying cause of death (UCOD) and NIOSH-119 multiple cause of death (MCOD) rate files have been updated with actual death and latest population data through 2009. The new rate files are incorporated in the latest LTAS.NET version 3.1, as well as on our ftp site: http://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/LTAS-NET/. Please refer to page 99 of the LTAS manual for instruction on how to import custom rates.

In addition to updated data, there are two critical changes to the new MCOD rate files:

• UCOD are added if not coded in MCOD.
• Duplicate disease codes found in MCOD are removed.

The users are advised to prepare their input files accordingly in multiple-cause analysis (i.e., make sure UCOD in MCOD and remove duplicate MCOD codes for any subject in the outcome file).

The occurrences of UCOD not found in MCOD were about 1,500-3,200 (0.1-0. 2%) with ICD-8 (1968-1978), and 2,000-5,000 (0.1-0.2%) with ICD-9 ( 1979-1998).

With the introduction of ICD-10 revision in 1999 and before NCHS started to force UCOD in MCOD in 2006, the occurrences of UCOD not in MCOD increased to about 31,000 to 52,000 (1.3-2.2%) from 1999 to 2005. There were only 2 occurrences of UCOD not in MCOD in 2007 and 2009 each, and none in 2006 or 2008.

With UCOD being forced in MCOD, the MCOD rates should be greater than UCOD in general. However, due to the incompleteness of MCOD data, UCOD may be greater in the following calendar periods in NIOSH-119:

• Calendar Period 1 (1960-64): Duplicated rates from Calendar Period 2.
• Calendar Period 2 (1965-69): MCOD data became available in 1968, so the rates for this period were based on the 1968-69 data multiplied by 2.5.
• Calendar Period 5 (1980-84): Only a 50 percent sample of deaths were coded for multiple cause in 19 of 50 states in 1981-1982 (although the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) had already duplicated the records for those states for those years on the public use tapes to adjust the number of deaths to the appropriate level, the numbers did not match exactly to those in UCOD.)

The tables describing the NIOSH-92 and NIOSH-119 rate file mortality categories and the corresponding ICD codes are updated with the following changes:

• Corrected a typo in NIOSH-119 UCOD and MCOD rate files: minor 058 changed from ‘Conductive Disorder’ to ‘Conduction Disorder’.
• The following new NCHS codes have been added (parentheses show corresponding minors in NIOSH-92/NIOSH-119):
• A09.0, A09.9, A48, B33.4 (92/119),
• G90.4 (50/052),
• I15, I15.0, I15.9 (56/061),
• J09 (60/064)
• K22.7, K52.3, K85.0, K85.1, K85.2, K85.3, K85.8, K85.9 (68/075)
• M31.7 (58/062)
• M79.7 (82/080)
• P91.6 (Invalid; will be classified by LTAS.NET to the residual category 92/119)
• R26.3, R29.6, R50.2, R50.8, R63.6 (83/090)
• U04, U04.9 (59/063)
• W46, X59.0, X59.9 (87/115)

March 2013

For LTAS.NET version 3.0.5, the following updated rate file, containing actual rate data through 2007, is integrated within the program and will automatically be included when the program is installed:

• Updated NIOSH 119 multiple-cause of death (MCOD) rate files with data through 2007

November 2011

The problems in our MCOD rate files have been fixed. A notification was sent to registered users of the updated rate files available for download at an ftp site. The current location is http://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/LTAS-NET/.

July 2011

Problems were discovered in our MCOD rate files included in previous versions of LTAS.NET. A notification was sent to registered users to avoid using MCOD rate files before we corrected the error. The underlying cause of death (UCOD) rate files were not affected by the issue. To see more detailed descriptions of the problems, click MCOD Problems.

July 2011

For LTAS.NET version 3.0.4, the following updated rate file, containing actual rate data through 2007, is integrated within the program and will automatically be included when the program is installed:

• 92-cause and 119-cause U.S. UCOD files for the years 1940-2014
• 119-cause U.S. MCOD files for the years 1960-2014
• ICDA-8 (Eighth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases Adapted for Use in the United States) code 519.3 was remapped to minor 62 in NIOSH-92.
  • The ICD-8 codes developed by the World Health Organization did not have a code for chronic obstructive lung disease without mention of asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema (519.3).
  • The code 519.3, introduced by the National Center for Health Statistics in 1970 to be used with ICD-8 in the United States, is comparable to those due to other Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and allied conditions under ICD-8 and later revisions.
  • See pages 3-4, Table A: footnote 2 in https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/mvsr/supp/mv28_11s.pdf. [PDF 1996 KB, 19 pages]

October 2010

For LTAS.NET version 3.0.1, the following updated rate and proportion files, containing actual rate data through 2007, are integrated within the program and will automatically be included when the program is installed:

• 92-cause U.S. UCOD files for the years 1940-2014
• 119-cause U.S. UCOD files for the years 1960-2014
• 119-cause U.S. MCOD files for the years 1960-2014

Updated UCOD and MCOD rate files are available for neurodegenerative diseases with data through 2007 and may be downloaded from the Download Software page. These rates are compatible with LTAS.NET version 3.0, but not earlier versions of LTAS.NET or PC-LTAS

October 2008

For LTAS.NET version 2.0.16, the updated 119 UCOD rate files for the years 1960-2005 are now included within the download program. The updated mapping for the NIOSH 119 rate file mortality categories and the corresponding ICD codes for the period 1960 through 2005 can be accessed below:

UCOD 119 mapping file [PDF 189 KB, 19 pages] describes the new NIOSH 119 rate file mortality categories and the corresponding ICD codes for the period 1960 through 2009. This file replaces Table 1 listed below and covers both UCOD and State Rate files.

U.S. MCOD rate and proportion files are now available. These files contain data from 1960-2002 and use the older version of the 119-cause mapping file. To avoid mapping problems, users should first install LTAS.NET version 2.0.16 and then install the MCOD cause-map file found on the downloads page into LTAS.NET, using the “Manage Rates –> Import Cause Map” wizard. Lastly, users should install the MCOD rate and proportion file also found on the downloads page into LTAS.NET, using the “Manage Rates –> Import Rate Set” wizard. See the Frequently Asked Questions document (Q-R7) for cautions about the use of this rate file. Because the MCOD rates use the 1960-2002 data, the mapping file is the same as one defined in Table 1 in the August 2007 information given below.

Under development:

• MCOD rates for LTAS.NET updated with data from 2003-2005.
• Discrepancies identified with MCOD rates in the 85+ age category will be investigated and corrected.

August 2007

The Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) was recently adopted. To make use of the ICD-10 for the purpose of identifying disease-exposure associations, NIOSH has designed new updates to the life table rate file which are currently being applied to the U.S. rates used for life table analyses. This paper describes the changes to existing rates, and the addition of new cause of death categories including mesothelioma, cancer of the pleura, COPD, unintentional injuries, and terrorism.

“Tenth Revision US Mortality Rates for Use with the NIOSH Life Table Analysis System” by Robinson CF, Schnorr TM, Cassinelli RT, Calvert GM, Steenland NK, Gersic CM, and Schubauer-Berigan MK. (JOEM 48(7):662-667, 2006) Journal Article [PDF 154 KB, 6 pages]

The article with the tables also may be accessed on the JOEM subscriber website. Due to restrictions on length, the published journal article contains the text without tables.

The following tables are defined in the publication and can be accessed below:

• Table 1 [PDF 151 KB, 10 pages]

Describes the new NIOSH 119 rate file mortality categories and the corresponding ICD codes for the period 1960 through 2004. [This table is being used for the NIOSH 119 MCOD rates; however a new table exists for the updated UCOD and State rates and is described above.]

• Table 2 [PDF 53 KB, 1 page]

Summarizes the recognized coding options for mesothelioma mortality for the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth revisions of the ICD.

• Table 3 [PDF 148 KB, 7 pages]

Lists the new NIOSH 92 rate file categories and the corresponding ICD codes for the period 1940 through 2004.

• Table 4 [PDF 63 KB, 2 pages]

Provides the ratio of adjacent-year deaths corresponding to the change from ICD-9 to ICD-10 for death categories files are used.